


A Crack in the Stone

by PippyLI



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Memory Loss, Post-Weirdmageddon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 13:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15730650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PippyLI/pseuds/PippyLI
Summary: "Ford finds Stan standing in a clearing in the woods."A story about memory, feelings, and moving on.





	A Crack in the Stone

Ford finds Stan standing in a clearing in the woods. Now, normally, Ford wouldn't be concerned about this. Stan is a fully grown man with more or less good judgment (not like Ford would ever admit that), and he has the right to do what he pleases. But Ford is concerned, for two reasons; One, Stan had just recently regained his memory, and two, he's standing in front of Bill’s statue.

Ford approaches Stan slowly, cautiously. He stops a safe distance away.

“Stanley?”

When Stan doesn't answer, Ford furrows his brows and repeats his name a little louder.

Stan reacts this time. He jumps a bit, but doesn't turn around. Ford notices that he's shaking ever so slightly.

“...Ford? That you?”

Ford frowns in concern. Is Stan having some sort of lapse? He decided to slowly move forward enough to see Stan's face. It looked blank.

“Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?”

Ford examines his brother's face for any emotion, but gets no different result. Stan stays silent as he does so, though Ford's not sure if Stan is even seeing him. His eyes are stuck to the cursed statue.

Stan's mouth twitches a bit and Ford tries not to flinch when he hears a grating laugh emit from him. Stan mumbles something Ford can't quite pick up.

“Stan?”

After a moment, Stan does look up then, and Ford tries to ignore the alarm blaring in his head.

Finally, Stan sighs and his face drops into a tired frown. He looks back to the statue before them and, for the first time since Weirdmaggedon, Ford does too.

The statue still looks how it did when Bill first left his physical body. It's hand is reaching out for a deal it will never get, it's eye open, staring ahead. Some flora had already begun to grow on it, giving it this old look. Ford hums quietly, it fits, in a way.

“So…”

Ford looks to Stan, waiting for him to finish. Stan keeps his eyes to the statue.

“This is the guy you beat?”

“What?” Ford replied instantly. “No, Stan. You beat him. You were the one who saved us all.”

Stan laughs slightly in discomfort, and it was only after he did that did Ford realize how much closer he had gotten. Ford quickly apologizes, but Stan shakes his head.

He reaches up to rub his neck, and looks to the left, away from Ford.

“Oh, yeah. I did that, huh? Sorry, I couldn't really remember…”

Ford's eyes grow sad at the reminder. If only Ford didn't have his metal plate, none of this would have happened.

Ford tentatively rests his hand on Stan's shoulder and Stan looks up again. He shows emotion this time, but he seems nervous. He shouldn't have to feel that way.

“We should get back to the shack. Are you hungry? You've been gone for a couple of hours,” he says. They both look at the setting sun for a moment.

And then, as if hearing Ford's words, Stan's stomach grumbles. Loudly.

The laugh Stan gives out sounds more bright, more genuine.

“Heh, yeah. I forgot about that. Let's go back.”

As the brothers turn around to head back, Ford spares one more glance at Bill's statue. He glares at it with all of his might, fueling his eyes with hatred. Then, he lets it go with a sigh.

He looks at the greenery on the ground, then up to birds in the sky. They did it, and he won't let anyone hurt his family, ever, ever again.

He looks at Bill again, and looks away.

He goes to catch up with Stan, and never looks back.


End file.
